4,000 plus solar panels help create the largest green brewery in the UK

In a first for larger-sized breweries in the UK a Brewery, in North Yorkshire is being fuelled by solar energy. The installation, utilising an array over 4,000 solar panels, will generate approximately 876 megawatt hours (“MWh”) each year, enough to power 185 homes.

HEINEKEN’s John Smith’s Brewery, in North Yorkshire is now utilising the array over 4,000 solar panels, generating approximately 876 megawatt hours (“MWh”) each year, enough to power 185 homes.

Martin Kochl, Tadcaster’s Brewery Manager, said “When laid out side by side, the panels would cover an area equivalent to five Olympic-sized swimming pools. We are really proud that Tadcaster is now home to the biggest solar panel installation at any brewery in the UK. Sourcing the power we need to make our beers and cider from renewable energy sources like solar energy help us to reduce the environmental impact of our business and forms a key part of our sustainability programme, Brewing a Better World.”

Nigel Adams, MP for Selby and Ainsty, who attended the launch of the installation, commented: “HEINEKEN’s investment is a strong endorsement of the role renewable energy can play in the community. This is a truly innovative and exciting development for the brewery and wider Tadcaster area, which I welcome whole-heartedly.”

Dany de Zeeuw, Sales Director at SolarAccess Sustainable Energy - the designer and developer behind the solar panels - said “Tadcaster will be the sixth solar project we’ve installed on a HEINEKEN brewery worldwide. We’re excited to bring solar energy to Tadcaster.”